Murder-accused Amit Shah to be BJP general secretary?

Amit Shah has emerged as a strong contender to be appointed as a general secretary in BJP president Rajnath Singh’s team.

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NEW DELHI: Gujarat CM NarendraModi's confidant Amit Shah has emerged among the strong contenders to be appointed as a general secretary in BJP president Rajnath Singh's team.

Sources said that Shah, who resigned as home minister in Modi's government after CBI chargesheeted him in the case concerning the "fake encounter" of alleged gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, is among the hot probables to be one of the 10 general secretaries of the party.

Other favourites for the post of general secretary include Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Prabhat Jha and P Murlidhar Rao. Ananth Kumar and Thawarchand Gehlot are likely to be retained.

Shah was arrested in the Sohrabuddin case and was released on bail on the condition that he would not visit Gujarat. The travel ban was relaxed ahead of the Gujarat elections which he contested and won by a huge margin. The CBI has since chargesheeted him also in the Tulsiram Prajapati killing case.

He and his party have rejected the charge of his complicity in the Sohrabuddin case as politically motivated, and accused the CBI of working at Congress's instance.

The prospect of his inclusion coincides with growing signs that the leadership may draft Modi to spearhead the party's 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, and is seen as an indication of the Gujarat CM's new-found stature. Widely perceived to be BJP's most popular face, Modi seems to tower over his peers, especially since he coasted to his third consecutive win in Gujarat in November.

The huge response he got at the party's national council on March 2 and 3 underscored his pull among the cadre, as well as the rising clamour for his projection as the party's choice for PM in 2014.

Shah's inclusion among the central office-bearers is likely to be interpreted as reflecting the Gujarat CM's readiness to take centrestage.

According to sources, Rajnath Singh has consulted Modi along with other leaders on the composition of his team: yet another indication of the heft that the latter has acquired after keeping himself aloof from party's affairs at the Centre.

The exercise for constitution of his team has seen Rajnath balancing the interests of his party colleagues, most of them at odds with each other, as well as RSS. While Ananth Kumar is set to be retained, the party chief, anxious to avoid treading on sensitive toes, is having to do a high-wire act as he picks up other members.

Sources said there is a toss-up between Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shahnawaz Hussain for the post of general secretary earmarked for minorities, with the former having his nose ahead. Prabhat Jha, who was recently replaced as the chief of Madhya Pradesh unit, is seen as having a strong case for compensation in the form of a position as general secretary. He is seen as having the support of RSS leaders, particularly Suresh Soni.

P Murlidhar Rao, who is involved with Swadeshi Jagran Manch, is in contention because of the support from party veteran L K Advani, as well as a section of the RSS.

Strong contenders include Smriti Irani and Varun Gandhi. Party sources said Varun, who has been acquitted in both hate speech cases against him, will be a shoo-in to head the party's youth wing if he agrees. Irani has impressed party leaders with her performance in Rajya Sabha and as an articulate spokesperson, but will have to contend with strong opposition from those who feel that a berth in Parliament was adequate recognition for the former TV star.